There are only three games left in the college football season. That sucks. There's no way around it. If there's a silver lining to that depressing fact, it's that they're College Football Playoff games.

The Buckeyes’ defense will be tested by the high-flying Longhorns, who are 13-2 and rank 21st in scoring. Texas lost to Georgia twice this year but bounced back to beat Clemson in the first round and Arizona State in the Peach Bowl, approaching 40 points in both victories.

While Notre Dame’s win against Georgia was the first win in a big bowl game in more than 30 years, Penn State is still searching for that level of win under James Franklin. The Nittany Lions had the so-called easy path to the semifinals and took advantage with a dominant win against SMU and a comfortable win against Boise State.